Almost time to brush off the sand

Thoughts, comments, observations and cherished moments from the crew:

Christine: "Over a year ago, when Ralph/Dad/PopPop dreamed up this adventure, I wondered if we were all crazy. The answer is, yes, we are, and that's the best part of this adventure. Crazy or not, we are family. Good times, bad times, all times. What was the best part of this adventure? All of it and the love that is us."

409 Front Street, Lahaina

Lee: "We travelled 6000 miles to celebrate PopPop's (the Big Kahuna's) retirement--and so much more. From the luau to sibling drinks, dinner at Roy's in Oahu, to fishing, biking and eating in Maui, with a brush fire thrown in to make for a truly unforgettable vacation."

Karen: "No matter how far in advance you plan something, there are always last minute curve balls. With a very busy month leading up to our 6000 mile journey and a lot of loose ends to tie up before we stepped on the plane, I was feeling the stress. But it all melted away as soon as we were all together. Although we see one another fairly often throughout the year, a lot of bonding occurs when you share meals and living space for two weeks, slip and slide through a muddy hike, bike down a volcano and get trapped by a brush fire together. I have enjoyed my time with all of you and I am truly grateful to be a part of such a wonderful family. Ralph and Christine, thanks for being the adhesive that keeps us in one another's lives and for giving us so many memory making moments. I love you all. xoxoxo"

Sean: "Learned new rules for hikes and travel. 1) Always have a map. 2) Always have a backup trail. 3) Always listen to Jim on the Gypsy app."

Mandy: "Amazing sunsets; family dinners and fresh catch meals; the Road to Hana and Bully's Burgers; walks to town; snorkeling off the beach up the road; late night talks with drinks."

Amy & Michael: "Enjoyed all the family time and watching Ada bond with everyone; seeing Ada learn to respect and have fun in the ocean was a proud moment; I am thankful for everyone's help and once again reminded how awesome my family is."

Ada: "The ocean; throwing rocks; the Warrior dance; girls' night with my cousins, bonding with my Aunt Kiki."

The Banyan tree in Lahaina at night. It has one main trunk and 16 subsidiary trunks. It shades an acre and features a cacophony of birds every evening.  

Jackie: "My absolute favorite memory was watching Nanny and PopPop walking on the beach and swimming in the water- just holding hands and talking. Another top memory was our big family breakfast post mass on Sunday, equipped with plenty of coffee. Another moment permanently imprinted upon my mind is lying next to my sisters on the beach, as our skin darkens and our hair lightens and we read our books and smell the salty Pacific."

Caroline: "Getting my hair cut for the first time in over a year; time with my sisters and Ada; beautiful hikes."

Claire: "Spending quality time with the family; seeing how happy PopPop was/is when we're all together and hanging out."

Ralph--Some closing remarks from the Big Kahuna himself:

"Two years in the making starting with 2014 summer dinner at the Black Olive. Family committees were formed (house activities, Pearl Harbor, dates). All delivered a somewhat random but fun-filled product. Oahu was tourists but Maui was nothing but family and fun. The one-two delivery on the fishing was out of this world. Mike first with the yello-finned tuna and then Sean's walk-off with the Ono. This was topped with a fine dinner prepared by Chef Sean and Hostess Mandy who put together a lovely table for the feast. The memories will begin and last with the fantastic photo shoot--showing the loving family we have as a group and with the four components. Time with my four granddaughters was special. Time with my sons and daughter and spouses was just as special. Karen and Mandy are preserving memories through photos, words and a blog. Watching Lee manage three of my granddaughters was extremely entertaining. And, as usual, Christine/Mom/Nanny kept us all together with her caring love. Plus, watching Amelia mothering Ada was a real delight and she did a really good job on Caitlin, our photographer. And last, but not least, the Jimmy Doolittle missions with Jackie, Caroline and Claire. Already thinking about the next one??

Twin Falls, Paia, and a 7 hour (de)tour

Hopped in the cars around 8:30am and set off for Twin Falls on the northern side of the island. This was a much milder hike than the Waihee Ridge mudslide the other day. Lots of interesting foliage, flowers and waterfalls. Some folks hit the roadside stand and rewarded themselves with a coconut with a straw plunged into it.

The day was EXTREMELY windy. Keep this in mind as you read on. 

  

Jackie insisting on scaring the you-know-what out of her mother. 

Twin Falls

North Shore, Maui

The windsurfers were FLYING through the water!

On the return trip, we stopped for lunch in Paia (the seaside town we cycled to from Haleakala). We grabbed a relaxing lunch at a little cafe called Mambo Cafe and poked around in some shops. 

We left Paia around 2:45pm intending/expecting to be back at the house between 4-4:30pm. We were close to making the turn to Lahaina onto route 30 when police started forcing everyone to do u-turns. Remember the wind? A brush fire had started and was engulfing the entire side of the mountain, all the way down to the road. We tried another route that would drop us down further south but that was closed off as well. With no idea when the road would reopen, we hung out in Kihei--on the beach and at small shopping center. We grabbed an afternoon tea/coffee/snack at Starbucks to kill some time but frequent monitoring of MauiNow and Maui 24/7 showed the roads were still closed. With nothing else to do, Caroline got her hair cut while the rest of us watched and Jackie learned to swing dance with the other stylist (an older gentleman from Montana). 

We refueled the cars, bought some water and a phone charger (just in case) and hung out at the beach until the road reopened. Amy tried to squeeze through when they reopened it for locals at one point, pulling the baby card, but she was refused, told that "only God knows when the road will open" and then directed to a shelter. Eventually, we got back on the road and this is what we saw:

These pictures don't convey the vastness of this fire--6,000 acres according to this morning's news. 

We were forced off the road again (as you can see, the fire was blowing embers across the road) into a parking lot where we waited for another 90 minutes before we could proceed. The fire had spread all the way to a little east of Lahaina. We finally reached the house around 10:30pm, passing 10 miles of traffic heading east. 

Recovery day. 1 July 2016

Today was spent realigning our sleep schedules, morning beach time, a tasty lunch at Prison Street Pizza (recommended by Captain Brad from our fishing expedition), bumming and buying around Lahaina, napping, watching Ada keep going without an afternoon nap, and PopPop taking the "Doolittle Brigade" on an evening mission of dessert procurement. 

A local craftsman

The Banyan tree in town--it gives shade to about 1 acre with one main trunk and 16 secondary trunks, some of which need to be supported. A cacophony of birds sing from its branches at sunset. The tree was brought from India in 1873 and it is the largest in the U.S. It was 8 feet tall when planted and is now close to 60 feet. 

The main trunk--

A mountain view from Front Street, Lahaina. 

In search of dinner (fishing Hawaiian style)

The hardy souls of the Arnold clan boarded a fishing boat at 5am and headed out into these beautiful blue waters to procure our dinner for this evening. When you arise this early, you are treated to this:

It was a slow morning, but the group eventually got lucky and pulled in two lovely specimens. First, Mike hauled in a yellow fin tuna. 

And then Sean pulled in a local fish known as an Ono.

A couple dolphins joined in the fun, too. 

While our anglers were out angling, Christine and Karen and Ada stayed behind and were treated to observing coconut tree trimming professionals in action. They use the same technique that we remember the telephone line repairmen of old using. 

You can see one of the tossed fronds:

Oh, here's an interesting fact: those wide metal bands on the trees...

...are an attempt to prevent rats, yes, RATS, from climbing up and nesting in the coconut trees. 

It looks like Sean is about to prepare another amazing dinner with today's catch. Aloha. 

 

A Tale of Two Hikes

We headed out this morning to Iao Valley State Park in search of some hiking. Ada was ready and raring to go and enjoying her view from 6 feet up. The map at the trail head illustrated various trails of varying, unspecified, squiggly lengths. Prepared for a hearty adventure, we set off to climb up for a view of Iao Needle. 

Sean & Mandy in front of The Needle

On another trail spur we found this:

Not quite sure what they are (Offerings? Prayers? Feats of engineering?) Regardless, they are pretty cool.

This tour was over quickly (trail map evidently not drawn to scale) as we conquered the entire park in 30-40 minutes. A little dissatisfied, we decided to seek out a more challenging hike. Thirty minutes of switchbacks later, we found the Waihee Ridge trail. We should have given more consideration to a write-up that said, "...the initial incline will have you almost hating this trail before it even begins--but keep going." Although clouds hid a lot from the camera, the views certainly were spectacular, if not slightly dangerous to achieve. Ada happily narrated our journey and served as official lost member beacon by joyfully calling out names. 

Caroline: climbing trees all over the world. 

By the end, we looked like this:

We have a LOT of cleaning up to do before our family photo session this evening. 

Lahaina. At last.

Super Mike!

Scenic overlook #1

First Lahaina snorkel expedition.